Jacksy

Ѻɳ𝖾

Noah stretched out his arms, heavy sleep in his eyes. He could hear the hall beyond his door creak under his mother's weight, as she made breakfast in the kitchen. He rolled off of his mattress, the springs within it groaning. Noah stood and gathered his reflection in the mirror. With brown hair and brown eyes, he shared a resemblance of his father. His mother had brown hair, but her eyes were blue. Noah often wondered about his father. He had left after Noah was born. His mother was too bitter to speak of what happened, but it was difficult for Noah, because he looked very much like his father. Noah knew he was like his father. He could feel it in his blood.

The smell of bacon filled the air, and Noah's stomach grumbled. He was thin, which was probably due to the fact that he did not eat the breakfast his mother made. He ate at the convenience store in the city, where he worked. He respected but resented his mother, and because he resented her, he suffered from guilt. He knew she would always be grieving over her husband leaving. She was the only one left to look after the farm-Well, Noah helped, too.

He slipped into his usual oversized black hoodie and jeans and pulled his hood over his head. He entered the hall and glanced at his mother, who was standing over a crackling pan of eggs.

"Going out again?" said his mother wearily.

Noah took a deep breath, his hand on the doorknob. His mother disapproved of him going into the city, but he had to learn how to live outside of the farm. "I'll be back after dinner."

His mother shook her head. "You're going to get caught, Noah." Her words were filled with bitterness. "One of these days, you won't come back."

"When that happens, you'll be able to start your social life," Noah muttered. He couldn't help himself. He opened the door and skipped down the steps before he could hear his mother's reply. He began to trek down the very long dirt road, which would take him into the city. The farm was located near the outskirts of the city, but buildings still surrounded the land. It was the only farm that could support a majority of the city. Of course, all of the goods produced from the farm would go to plants where they'd modify the food, but at least Noah wasn't the one to do so. It wasn't that he disapproved of the modification; he simply thought it to be pointless. The city was already ravaged with diseases and genetic disorders. Modification wouldn't solve their issues.

Perhaps Noah felt this way because he was the only one who wasn't genetically tampered with. He had no friends because everyone would see him differently. Therefore, he did not go to school. He wasn't allowed to. His immune system was weaker than those in the city. He looked imperfect to those in the city. He felt like he was the one carrying the disease... Even his name was foreign. But luckily, he had the protection of his hood to keep him safe.

After a long walk, he reached the end of the dirt road, where tall buildings carved an alley into the city. Noah jumped over the small rickety fence and exited the alley into the city. The convenience store was just across the street to the right, sitting between a towering glass skyscraper and a drug store. Noah kept his head down, careful to avoid those who passed by. Cars and motorcycles hovered past in the street, and lights from hundreds of screen illuminated the city, reflecting off of every available surface. Holograms stood outside many stores, begging customers to enter. Noah focused on the sidewalk. He spotted the familiar crack in its pavement that seemed to creep closer to the farm each day. He followed the crack in the pavement across the street, where it stopped before the store. Noah took a deep breath, heavy air in his lungs. He entered, fluorescent lights flickering overhead. Four aisles sat in the store, filled with junk food and toothbrushes. Coolers lined the walls, housing many alcoholic drinks and brightly colored refreshments full of genetically modified substances Noah couldn't identify. Skully sat behind the counter near the door, staring at a hologram of his brother, Ashton. Skully was older, with a very sickly complexion. His skin was tight around his bones, his eyes were sunken, his jaw and cheek bones stark under the lights. Skully's appearance didn't faze Noah. Skully hadn't chosen to look the way he did; it was his parents.